EMA (Education Maintenance Allowance)

[Charz777]

EMA is IMO very unfair. Personally, I think I need EMA to pay for Art supplies being an Art student, Art can be an expensive subject. However, I don't get EMA based on my Household income. I'm constantly having to ask parents for money for school supplies and 'beneficial school trips' which I think is unfair on them. On top of this having to pay 200 pounds a year for the school bus is really harsh. Down with EMA (N)

[IceNineKills]

Alot of people on this thread are very selfish, they don't like EMA because they don't get it. Grow up, seriously.

Although I got EMA when I was at collage, now working I've payed it all back through being taxed.

[buttons]

EMA is IMO very unfair. Personally, I think I need EMA to pay for Art supplies being an Art student, Art can be an expensive subject. However, I don't get EMA based on my Household income. I'm constantly having to ask parents for money for school supplies and 'beneficial school trips' which I think is unfair on them. On top of this having to pay 200 pounds a year for the school bus is really harsh. Down with EMA (N)

£200 a year??????? I pay that every 9 weeks and I'm not in every day. At our college everyone gets money to pay for their supplies anyway if it's over a certain amount unless you're from a different country or over a certain age.

You can get a lunch pass, if you arrange it with your parents and school.

that's only for kids without any income at all at my school, which is really unfair because their parents ARE most likely lazy, not everyone on ema have lazy parents ;_;

[GommeInc]

Alot of people on this thread are very selfish, they don't like EMA because they don't get it. Grow up, seriously.

Although I got EMA when I was at collage, now working I've payed it all back through being taxed.

I can bring up a return argument - you're greedy

I hate the selfish comment, the people who use it just say it, and expect that to be a sufficient argument, when it is the opposite :/

The EMA IS a dreadful system in its current form - it doesn't take into account the number of students/people in the family and isn't based on a family by family basis - it is based on an easy to avoid "maximum income in the family" system, which is quite unfair for people who should be in it. Yes, there are people who are a bit annoyed that they don't receive, even though they really don't.

Judging by alot of the responses in this thread (and other places ), aload of people don't use it as a way of maintaining their education, but a source of income - these people do not deserve it. The whole system is terrible and is probably one of the worse hand out schemes this country has to offer - it's slow to respond, unjust and irrational as systems goes. Handing out money to students is a terrible idea, how can they insure that the money is going to be used properly, when not everyone does?

The system should be scrapped, it's the only just option for it. Then rebuild it on a new idea of just giving the students what they need to maintain their education as listed under the EMA government scheme website - transport, equipment and financial aid for other things (which would be resits, insurance which is usually something odd like £10). It really is the only option to make this system work in my opinion, it shuts up the people clearly scrounging for an income, silences the people who cannot have it, and allows people who do need it, but can't, get it.

[RandomManJay]

I can bring up a return argument - you're greedy

I hate the selfish comment, the people who use it just say it, and expect that to be a sufficient argument, when it is the opposite :/

The EMA IS a dreadful system in its current form - it doesn't take into account the number of students/people in the family and isn't based on a family by family basis - it is based on an easy to avoid "maximum income in the family" system, which is quite unfair for people who should be in it. Yes, there are people who are a bit annoyed that they don't receive, even though they really don't.

Judging by alot of the responses in this thread (and other places ), aload of people don't use it as a way of maintaining their education, but a source of income - these people do not deserve it. The whole system is terrible and is probably one of the worse hand out schemes this country has to offer - it's slow to respond, unjust and irrational as systems goes. Handing out money to students is a terrible idea, how can they insure that the money is going to be used properly, when not everyone does?

The system should be scrapped, it's the only just option for it. Then rebuild it on a new idea of just giving the students what they need to maintain their education as listed under the EMA government scheme website - transport, equipment and financial aid for other things (which would be resits, insurance which is usually something odd like £10). It really is the only option to make this system work in my opinion, it shuts up the people clearly scrounging for an income, silences the people who cannot have it, and allows people who do need it, but can't, get it.

Perfect, thread closed .

I fully agree with everything you've said. In my Sixth Form we were actually in the middle of creating a petition in the year I left to have the EMA system revised to the factors you stated. The only problem with revising it is that the system does work to a degree (degree being the word :S) and in every system there will be people who wont receive it who do need it (or think they should have it), so the government is reluctant to revise it because of those reasons, also with the amount of funding required in order for such a revise to occur of course (its always about the £££).

[GommeInc]

Perfect, thread closed .

I fully agree with everything you've said. In my Sixth Form we were actually in the middle of creating a petition in the year I left to have the EMA system revised to the factors you stated. The only problem with revising it is that the system does work to a degree (degree being the word :S) and in every system there will be people who wont receive it who do need it (or think they should have it), so the government is reluctant to revise it because of those reasons, also with the amount of funding required in order for such a revise to occur of course (its always about the £££).

Surely revising it would save money in the long run? If you take the amount of money a student gets with the EMA, it runs into the £1,000 quite easily, when education shouldn't cost that much alone (minus food, which should be a household problem, not an education problem).

It's just being too lazy to change it, isn't it?

[RandomManJay]

Surely revising it would save money in the long run? If you take the amount of money a student gets with the EMA, it runs into the £1,000 quite easily, when education shouldn't cost that much alone (minus food, which should be a household problem, not an education problem).

It's just being too lazy to change it, isn't it?

Yeah well, the UK is pretty lazy, we just can't really be arsed to do anything that would benefit us in the long run .

[StefanWolves]

Yeah well, the UK is pretty lazy, we just can't really be arsed to do anything that would benefit us in the long run .

the uk, lazy? so you're saying that probably one of the best examples of a working democracy, in this world - is lazy?

[RandomManJay]

the uk, lazy? so you're saying that probably one of the best examples of a working democracy, in this world - is lazy?

Exactly . I was actually be sarcastic (see my username if you're confused ).

But really considering long people have been complaining about it, you would have ask what exactly they've been doing about it. My Sixth Form Head has been furious with it for years and all she keeps getting back for them is that they're planning on changing, but they haven't said when. If it has actually went through some changes (which doesn't mean they've changed the income levels etc.) then sorry, haven't chatted with my head for over a year .

[IceNineKills]

I can bring up a return argument - you're greedy

I hate the selfish comment, the people who use it just say it, and expect that to be a sufficient argument, when it is the opposite :/

The EMA IS a dreadful system in its current form - it doesn't take into account the number of students/people in the family and isn't based on a family by family basis - it is based on an easy to avoid "maximum income in the family" system, which is quite unfair for people who should be in it. Yes, there are people who are a bit annoyed that they don't receive, even though they really don't.

Judging by alot of the responses in this thread (and other places ), aload of people don't use it as a way of maintaining their education, but a source of income - these people do not deserve it. The whole system is terrible and is probably one of the worse hand out schemes this country has to offer - it's slow to respond, unjust and irrational as systems goes. Handing out money to students is a terrible idea, how can they insure that the money is going to be used properly, when not everyone does?

The system should be scrapped, it's the only just option for it. Then rebuild it on a new idea of just giving the students what they need to maintain their education as listed under the EMA government scheme website - transport, equipment and financial aid for other things (which would be resits, insurance which is usually something odd like £10). It really is the only option to make this system work in my opinion, it shuts up the people clearly scrounging for an income, silences the people who cannot have it, and allows people who do need it, but can't, get it.

If EMA gets scrapped then they would have to do the same with student loans. Who do you know has spend their student loan on what it's there for?

Although I do now disagree with what I've said i still think EMA should still be there. Some may say I was greedy for getting it butI only got it about 7 times throughout the year so I only took 140 quid of other peoples money and have payed alot more back in taxes. I also didn't spend it on the correct purpose because I never needed too. I lived 20mins away from my collage and skateboarded there everyday, only thing I needed to spend money on was pens and a pack of 10 done me the year, costing about 50p.

Would you agree to scrap the EMA system if you were allowed EMA?